3 NPA rebels killed in Sorsogon clash with government troops

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LEGAZPI CITY — At least three suspected communist rebels were slain in a clash with government troopers Tuesday in Barangay (village) Pinamanaan, 19 kilometers away from Donsol town in Sorsogon, an Army official said.

Major Angelo de Guzman, 9th Infantry Division (ID) spokesman, said the firefight between the soldiers of the 31st Infantry Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Teodoro Toribio and the group of New People’s Army rebels was still ongoing on as of posting time.

He, however, said that the bodies of the slain rebels have yet to be identified.

Guzman said the incident took place at around 5:41 a.m. and there were no casualties on the government side.

Quoting Toribio, Guzman said the Army received a report on the alleged collection of “revolutionary taxes” by the rebels when the soldiers swooped on them.

Seized from the rebels were an M16 rifle and a 9-millimeter pistol, it added.

Toribio is now coordinating with the local officials of Donsol for a decent burial of the casualties whose identities are still unknown.

Originally posted at 10:00 am | Tuesday, May 08,  2012